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THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRIBUNE NEWS
STORIES AND -THE SIMPLE TRUTH
First paragraph of The Tribune's
story of the West Side's Sunday mur
derer 'Three deaths, two injuries and
several robberies marked the activi
ties of the "jackrollers" on Saturday
night in the Desplaines street police
district." j
Paragraph of The Tribune's story
telling of the murder of John Nicho
las, of 1608 West Division street.
"John Neskallis, 1608 West Divi
sion street, a Greek; was stabbed in
the abdomen and fatally wounded at
night by two highwaymen at Peoria
and Pulton streets. He expired on
the sidewalk where he had fallen."
The paragraph in the Record
Herald telling of the murder of Nich
olas: "Neskallis accompanied by Wil
liam Fodis, was confronted by the
robbers shortly before midnight.
Fodis .fled and f6und Policemen
Courtney and Welling. They return
ed with him to the scene of the hold
up and found Neskallis dead on the
sidewalk. The murderers had es
caped." The true story of the murder of
Nicholas, so far as it is "known:
Nicholas, who was a barber with
a shop at 1608 West Division street,
and William Fotis, of 1637 West Di
vision street were walking along
Peoria street together. Fotis is a
former-.employe of Nicholas and
claims to 'be a relative.
At Peoria and Fulton Nicholas and
Fotis stopped. There was a cry.
Nicholas sank to the sidewalk. Fotis
ran.
Policemen Welling and Courtney
saw Fotis Running. They stopped
him. There was blood on his hands
a'nd face. They asked him where
the blood came from. He -stammered
that a' man had been killed.
Welling and Courtney made. Fotis
.return with them to where Nicholas
was lying on the sidewalk. ByVthe.
time they. got there Nicholas was
dead.
There was a deep wound in Nicho-'
las' stomach. By his side "lay the
weapon with which he had been
slain a pair of barber's scissors.
These scissors later were fitted in the
wound. They fitted exactly.
Welling and Courtney asked Fotis
to explain his connection with the
murder. Fotis stammered hat stick
up men- had done it. He Jsaid they
had roBbed Nicholas and then run"
away.
The policemen searched Nicholas'
pockets. He had not been robbed.
His gold watch and $5.75 were found
in his pockets.
Welling and Courtney arrested
Fotis. The only man who had seen
Nicholas fall was asked what he had
seen. He said he had seen Nicholas
and Fotis' arguing on the corner of
Fulton and Peoria, had seen Nicho
las' body sag to the ground, and
Fotis throw away the bloody pair of
shears and run.
Fotis sJtM denies he had anything
to do with the murder.
The Tribune's lines on the death of
an unidentified man, whose body was
folmd in. a"" stairway leading-into the
basement at 26 South Desplaines
street: y
"The pockets of the'aead man, who
appeared to bga. laborer, -were turned"
out. Three nickels and a dime lay
on the steps near him. The police
believe he was struck by someone,
thrown into the jstairway and rob
bed. No money .was found in his
pockets."
yThe Record-Herald on this death:
"The death of the unidentified man
will be given particular attention be
cause of the evident presence of
'jackrollers' either before or after his
death." -The
truth about it: -The
unidentified man may have
been a laborer. But he apparently